What are the key projects that you have been involved in over the past 12 months?

The past 12 months have brought both significant challenges and real opportunities – and ultimately, a series of tangible successes. An important legal milestone was successfully obtaining an extraordinary appeal in a key proceeding, which significantly improved the outlook and feasibility of a major development project. Again, this would not have been possible without the strong cooperation with our legal partners.

On a more personal level, one project that I initiated and continue to lead – together with our fantastic operations team – is a cultural collaboration at the Almanac Palais Vienna. We partnered with Galerie bei der Albertina, enabling us to display original works by renowned artists such as Gustav Klimt, Erwin Wurm, Hermann Nitsch, Prachensky, Gasteiger, and Avramidis in our hotel. These are pieces normally not accessible to private hospitality ventures, and the partnership provides significant mutual benefit and added visibility.

Another ongoing focus of mine is the strategic implementation of AI in our legal function. We’re exploring tailored tools to enhance efficiency, both in administrative processes and content-related legal tasks such as research. Our goal is to intelligently integrate digital assistance to free up time for strategic and creative legal work.

What strategies do you employ to ensure the successful digital transformation of a legal department while maintaining compliance with your country’s data protection laws?

This is a topic I’m personally passionate about. I actively promote the use of digital tools and AI internally – and encourage our external counsel to do the same. At the same time, we never lose sight of the legal framework, especially GDPR compliance.

We conducted early GDPR training across the company and I ensure that no personal data is fed into AI tools without careful review. We also work with an Austria-based AI platform developed specifically for lawyers, which is fully pseudonymised and GDPR-compliant.

The pace of development in this area is rapid, but I see enormous potential for efficiency gains. This allows us to allocate legal resources where they matter most – on strategy, solutions, and meaningful dialogue – while automating repetitive tasks responsibly.

What do you think sets you apart from other in-house counsel?

I wouldn’t claim that others don’t do this, but what distinguishes my approach is a deeply holistic mindset. From day one, I’ve been genuinely interested in understanding the company as a whole – our business model, internal processes, people, and strategic direction.

I don’t see myself only as a legal risk manager but as someone who actively contributes to the development of our business. I enjoy close collaboration with our ownership family, and I value open, direct communication over rigid hierarchies. This creates a working relationship built on trust, pragmatism, and shared goals – which I believe is where legal counsel can truly add value.